The Middle
by kate22689
Summary: LIASON. A short fic based on a challenge over at The Canvas.
1. Chapter 1

Over at The Canvas, Iz posted a challenge. She posted a banner and you had two weeks to write a fic to accompany it. In the banner there was a picture of Robin and Patrick, Lucky, Elizabeth holding a pregnancy stick and Jason. This is my take on it. Since it was a little on the long side, I split it into two parts. This was posted in June so it's still fairly new. Enjoy!

**The Middle – Part 1/2**

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet.__  
__It's only in your head you feel left out or__  
__looked down on._

Elizabeth Webber groaned and turned around on her bed, flexing her arm out just far enough to shut off the radio. It seemed that that damned song followed her everywhere.

_Just try your best, try everything you can.__  
__And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.__  
__It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride.__  
__Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right._

She attempted once more to shut it off and again the song didn't turn off. Why did she have to choose the radio for her alarm sound? At this point the one with the birds chirping was better.

_Hey, you know they're all the same.__  
__You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.__  
__Live right now.__  
__Yeah, just be yourself.__  
__It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else._

She sat up in bed and swung her legs over the edge before standing up and leaning over the night table, permanently shutting off the song as she unplugged the clock.

Yeah, just be yourself.

The words repeated themselves in her head. God, why did everything have to remind her of Jason?

She sat back down on the bed and groaned when her back met the mattress. Why couldn't she sleep late? Even for just one day. She'd cut off her left arm if she could sleep until nine, hell even eight o'clock would satisfy her.

Knowing that Cameron would be up soon she forced herself to face reality and once again rise from the bed, padding her way over to the dresser to grab some clothes to wear for the day. She made her way into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, placing her clean clothes on the sink.

Once she had turned on the water to ensure that it would be at the temperature she wanted when she stepped into it, she discarded all of the clothing from her body and shoved them into the hamper. She straightened her body from leaning over the hamper when something caught her eye.

She looked over at the mirror that hung on the back of the door, glancing at her reflection. Her body hadn't changed yet, but it would - there was no doubt about that. It had to. Her thoughts drifted back to the day she had found out. The day her life changed once again.

She had assumed she had the flu, but when it had lasted for two weeks, she knew that wasn't the case. So, she decided to talk to her best friend Emily before she panicked and went to the hospital.

_"Hey."_

_"Hey Elizabeth." Emily smiled at her as she sat on the stool beside her. "What brings you to Jake's?"_

_"You." She placed her purse on the counter. "I needed to talk to you and Sonny said you were here so here I am."_

_"Me?" Emily glanced at her curiously. "What's wrong?"_

_Elizabeth's gaze met her friends as her eyes began to water. "I've been getting sick for the past two weeks and I thought it was the flu. But now that its lasted this long, I think it's something else."_

_Emily stared at her. "You think you're pregnant, don't you?"_

_"Yeah." Elizabeth nodded. "I think I am."_

_"But…" Emily frowned. "Is that even possible? I mean, you and Lucky have been divorced for almost six months."_

_"I know but I- I slept with someone else a few months ago." Elizabeth was ashamed to admit it. She was supposed to be grieving for her marriage and the happily ever after she'd lost and what did she do? She climbed into bed with the first man she saw._

_"What?" Emily's eyes bulged in surprise. "Who?"_

_Elizabeth closed her eyes. She couldn't look at her when she said it. "Jason."_

_"Jason?" Emily's voice hitched. "You slept with Jason?"_

_She opened her eyes. "Yeah. He, uh…he had just walked in on you and Sonny all over each other in the living room at Sonny's place and he- he needed someone to talk to. So, he came to see me." Elizabeth laughed nervously. "And I was just as out of control as he was. I was still upset over the divorce and just everything going on. We spent half the night talking and just as he was leaving…" She paused. "Well, you don't need to know everything. Let's just say one thing led to another and here we are."_

_"Okay…" Emily nodded her head in understanding. "So if you are pregnant, this baby is Jason's right? There's no doubt about it?"_

_"No doubt." Elizabeth agreed. "I would be showing by now if it were Lucky's. And Jason is the only person I slept with around that time."_

_"Did you take a pregnancy test?"_

_"No, not yet." Elizabeth sighed. "But, I really think I'm pregnant. I've been really sore and sensitive the past few weeks and let's not forget the whole morning sickness thing."_

_"It may not be morning sickness, it may be-"_

_"The flu?" Elizabeth scoffed. "The flu doesn't last for two weeks. At least not for me."_

_"Well…" Emily struggled for words. "I think you need to go take a pregnancy test."_

_"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm going to go pick one up at the store. I'll see you later?"_

_"Yeah." Emily stood with Elizabeth and hugged her. "Call if you need me, alright?"_

_"Okay."_

After her talk with Emily, she had been more than convinced she was pregnant. She stopped at the drug store on the way home and picked up two home pregnancy tests to be on the safe side. And once she had put Cameron to bed and had a moment's peace, she took the tests. Both came back positive.

The next day she made a doctor's appointment and the doctor confirmed what she already knew, she was pregnant. Two and a half months pregnant, to be exact.

That had been two weeks ago.

Elizabeth shook her head, erasing all of her thoughts for a moment as she stepped into the shower and under the steaming water. It seemed that this was the only thing that relaxed her these days. She quickly found that if she took a shower in the morning as soon as she got up she wouldn't have morning sickness quite so early in the evening. She had yet to figure out how a shower in the morning calmed her nerves throughout the entire day. Nevertheless, she took her showers first thing in the morning and she was good to go.

The downside to the calming effect the shower had on her was that it was also her best time to think. She often did all of her best thinking while in the shower. Always had.

Her thoughts came back, plaguing her in that instant. She had yet to tell Jason he was going to be a father. She knew she had to tell him, there was no disputing that. She'd never keep his child from him, never. She just didn't know how to tell him. Calling him on the phone and congratulating him definitely wasn't the way to go. And neither was just showing up on her doorstep.

No, she had to call him and invite him over. They'd spend some time reminiscing and then she'd lower the bomb on him. She smiled to herself as she squirt some shampoo into her hand. She mixed the substance, lathering it up before she placed it on her head, being sure to get every strand of hair.

"_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride_." She starting singing to herself as she rinsed her hair thoroughly. "_Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right_."

As she lathered the conditioner in her palm she realized what she had just been doing. "Damn. Even in the shower the song gets to me." She muttered to herself.

* * *

On the other side of town an exhausted Patrick Drake was in the shower himself. Last night he and Robin had officially become a couple. They'd even consummated their relationship. Multiple times if he remembered correctly, he grinned as he stepped out of the shower and began to dry himself off.

It had all started at work when he had asked her if she had plans afterwards…

_"Hey." Patrick placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her towards him. "Do you have any plans after work tonight?"_

_"No." Robin shook her head. "Why?"_

_"Now you do." He gave her a charming smile._

Patrick chuckled as he remembered how fired up she had gotten over his comment. It was all innocent and she had completely blown it out of proportion. Of course he didn't mind her getting all hot and bothered over it either. He found it sexy when she got all fired up. Hell, who was he kidding? She was always sexy.

Once he finished dressing he took the hairdryer out from the cabinet underneath the sink. It was never healthy to leave the house with a wet head; his mother had always chastised him for it. And to this day, he still heard those words if he ever did it – which wasn't often.

Patrick's mind drifted to the previous night once again, as the hot hair blew across his face and hair.

_"Here. Have a seat." He pulled out her chair for her and waited for her to sit before pushing it in ever so slightly. "I'll be right back, I just have to grab the food."_

_"Wait." Her voice stopped him in mid-stride and he turned around to meet her gaze, waiting for her to continue. "You cooked?" Her brows lift up in surprise._

_Patrick let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, that's one of the perks of getting a regular apartment. It comes with a kitchen." He turned around and walked into the kitchen, leaving a minute later with his hands full._

_"Let me help you with that." She began to get up from her seat._

_"No." He stopped her. "Let me do this for you." He continued his walk to the table and set everything down, moving it around so that everything was just so. Then he walked back into the kitchen coming out with two plates, utensils and a lighter. He set a plate down in front of her and winked as he set her utensils down before he walked around the table to set his own plate and utensils down. _

_"Patrick?"_

_He looked up at her. "Yeah?"_

_"I didn't know you folded your napkins." She held hers up as she laughed. It was folded the exact same way you would find one a pricey restaurant._

_"I worked in a restaurant for years." He shrugged._

_"Were you a waiter?" A grin was tugging at her lips._

_"Yes." He gave her a fleeting glance. "Don't laugh."_

_"I'm not laughing." She assured him as she placed her fancy napkin over her mouth to stop herself._

_"Of course you aren't." He muttered as he lit up the lighter and placed it on top of the wick of one of the candles. The wick caught fire instantly and began to burn the candle. He took a few steps closer to Robin and lit the other candle._

_"Candles?" Her voice oozed with surprise. "Getting fancy now aren't we? Candles, perfectly folded napkins, home cooked meal…"_

_"I wanted tonight to be special for you, Robin."_

_"Why?"_

_"I- It's our first official date and I wanted it to be perfect. So yes, you get the candles, the home cooked meal and the _**_perfectly folded napkins_**_. I wanted to do it for you because you don't deserve anything less."_

_"Patrick." His name came out on a sigh as she stared at him in awe. "Thank you."_

_He walked across the room and turned the lights off, the candles were their only means of light now. "You're welcome."_

_Robin waited until he was seated before she began to place some food on her plate. Deciding that the chicken just looked divine, she knew she had to try that. If it tasted anywhere near as good as it looked…"Patrick this is really good." She let out a moan as she continued to chew. This chicken was to die for!_

_"Thank you." He smiled brightly at her. "I'm glad you like it."_

_She had just placed another piece of chicken in her mouth when he spoke so she waited until she had finished chewing and swallowing before speaking again. "Like it?" Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "I love it."_

_They had spent the next few minutes eating in silence until Patrick caught her staring at him from across the table. "What?"_

_"I was just wondering," She started as her gaze broke from his. "How did you end up working in a restaurant?"_

_"You're never going to let that go, are you?"_

_"Nope." She let her head fall back as she laughed. She couldn't picture him in a restaurant, it just wasn't him._

_"Alright, I'll explain." He sighed. "When I was fifteen I got a job at a local restaurant so I wouldn't have to rely on my parents. If I wanted to go to the movies, then I could go with my own money. No more begging my parents for ten bucks to take a date out. No sir." He paused. "I wanted to be self-sufficient so I took the initiative, got the job, and worked my way up. I started out as a busboy and went from there. I even worked there during the summer between semesters at college." He smiled. "By the time I left I had been cooking for quite some time. I was a chef at one of the best restaurants in the state without ever having to take a class for it."_

_"No wonder you are such an excellent cook. You did it professionally."_

_He nodded his head. "Yes."_

They spent the next fifteen minutes eating in silence. After they finished eating Robin had helped him clean up the table and even dried the dishes for him. Even she couldn't help put them away because she didn't know where everything went, he had still appreciated the gesture. Once they had finished cleaning they went into the living room and sat down on the couch, indulging in a nice bottle of wine.

And that's where things starting getting hazy, he chuckled to himself as he stared at his refection in the mirror. The only thing he remembered was that one moment he and Robin were talking on the couch and the next they were all over each other. They couldn't get enough of each other, he smiled. And then they had moved their little party to the bedroom…

He groaned out loud as he remembered the way it had felt when he first slid into her, the way she had responded to him as he thrust in and out of her, each time pulling him in deeper as their bodies adjusted to one another.

Robin was not only a terrific kisser, she was a minx.

Patrick turned off the dryer, unplugging it and placing it back underneath the sink where it belonged. He brushed a hand swiftly through his hair as he placed his towel into the hamper, turning off the light on his way out.

Just as he walked back into his bedroom, he heard his alarm go off. Or rather, he heard the radio turn on.

_And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.__  
__It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride.__  
__Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right._

He sauntered his way across the room as quickly as possible turning the alarm off without hesitation.

"What, you don't like that song?"

He turned to see Robin staring up at him. Her disheveled hair was going every which way and her eyes held the promise of more sleep in them. She was still tired, he smiled, thoroughly satisfied and impressed with himself. "I hate it." He groaned as he sat beside her on the edge of the bed. "It's always on the radio. They overplay it. It used to be a pretty good song, but now…I'm so sick of it.

Robin stared up at him thoughtfully for a moment before she burst out laughing at the remembrance of the previous night.

"What?"

"I still can't picture you as a waiter."

Patrick sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: I am so sorry for the bars as dividers for this story. But I needed to separate the scenes somehow! Enjoy!

**The Middle – Part 2/2**

"Okay, we're here." Elizabeth sat on the blanket beside Emily with a still groggy Cameron in her arms. He had woken up when she pulled him out of his car seat so she doubted he was fully aware of his surroundings yet. Especially since she knew how much her son loved the park. If he were totally awake he would be giggling and moving his watchful eyes all around the playground, staring at the other kids.

"Did he just wake up?" Emily laughed at her godson's expression.

"Yeah." Elizabeth nodded.

"Can I hold him?"

"Sure."

"Aw, Cameron I love your little outfit." Emily cooed.

"It's his favorite." Elizabeth winked at Emily. "After all his favorite Aunt did buy it for him."

"Oh." Emily shrieked. "Is this one of the ones I got him?"

"One of them, yes." Elizabeth grinned. "Emily, I know there is a reason you asked me here so let's just get it out of the way."

"Elizabeth." Emily frowned. "Can't I just want to hang out with my best friend and her son?"

"Emily, I know you too well to know that this isn't a spur of the moment social call. Come on…out with it."

"I- I just wanted to know if you told Jason your pregnant yet?"

"What?"

Emily and Elizabeth's head snapped up at the surprised voice.

"Lucky." Elizabeth sighed.

"You're pregnant?"

"I- yes." There was no use in lying about it, it was the truth.

"And it's Jason's? Jason Morgan's?"

She groaned. "Yes."

"So I wasn't wrong was I? You _were_ having an affair while we were married, weren't you?" He snarled. "I may have had the person pegged wrong, but it still counts doesn't it?"

"Lucky, I never had an affair…"

"The hell you didn't!"

"I didn't sleep with Jason until after the divorce was finalized."

Lucky gave her a once over, trying to decide whether her believed her or not.

"I don't care whether you believe me or not, Lucky. I know the truth and so does Jason. It doesn't really matter what you think anymore."

"I- Elizabeth." He sighed, still staring at her. He didn't have time to speak again since two seconds later his cell phone started ringing. "Spencer. Yeah? Are you sure? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I'll get right on it. Okay. Bye." He closed his phone, ending the call. "I have to go." His gaze met Elizabeth's. "This isn't over."

"Okay, Lucky." She rolled her eyes, watching him walk away.

"For someone who wanted the divorce as much as he did, it seemed like he was jealous there." Emily piped up once he was out of view.

"Yeah." She shook her head. "He's still convinced I was having an affair."

"Ignore him. That was just the drugs talking." Emily shrugged. "So did you tell Jason yet?"

Elizabeth shook her head again. "No...not yet. We spent almost the entire day together yesterday and I was thinking of bringing him and Cam here for a walk today before we went back to the house. I'm going to tell him tonight."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess. It's too late now anyway – I called him earlier to finalize our plans."

"Well…" Emily looked up at her friend, meet her gaze. "I guess this is good luck then."

"Thanks. It looks like I'm going to need it…"

* * *

"Hey." Jason smiled and waved when he saw her up ahead, picking up his own pace to get to her and Cameron quicker. 

"Jason." She nodded at him, continuing to push Cameron's stroller in his direction.

"I don't mean to rush you, but what is it that you need to tell me? I have to get back to the warehouse. I kind of left in the middle of an emergency to come meet you." He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh." She frowned. "Well then get back to work, we can talk later."

"Are you sure?" Jason looked down to meet her stare.

"It's fine. Go."

"Okay." He leaned in for a hug, holding her close for a moment. "I'll stop by the house in about an hour, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

Sure enough an hour later Jason Morgan was knocking on her front door, seeking entrance. 

"Hey Jason." She smiled at him, opening the door wide enough for him to enter. "We're going to have to keep our voices down, I just put Cam in bed."

"Oh, okay." He made sure his voice was only an octave above a whisper.

"Well, you don't have to be _that_ quiet." She chuckled. "Would you like something to drink?" She made her way through the living room and all the way into the back of the house where the kitchen was.

"Whatever you have is fine."

"Um…" She opened the refrigerator. "Is Kool Aid alright?"

"That's fine."

"Okay." She grabbed the pitcher and set it on the counter while she fished for two cups. This was going to be good, she smiled – Jason Morgan drinking Kool Aid. If only his enemies could see him now…

"Here you go." She handed him a glass three quarters of the way full with the red substance.

"Thank you." He accepted the glass, taking a large gulp of it immediately.

Elizabeth put away the pitcher and took a sip of her own drink as she made her way over to Jason.

He placed his cup on the counter behind him. "Something's bothering you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She shook her head.

"Elizabeth, there is nothing I can do to help you if you won't tell me the problem."

"I- It's nothing. I'm fine now…it's alright." What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be telling him the truth and not avoiding him, she yelled at herself.

"You're still not very good at lying."

"Jason." She warned him, the anger rising in her voice. "…Leave it alone."

"Why can't you just tell me what the problem is? I know that something is wrong, Elizabeth. So just tell me. What is the matter?"

"Nothing, okay?" She snapped. "There is nothing wrong."

Jason sighed, trying to keep his anger in check. This was so not what he needed after the day he'd had. "Elizabeth, last chance – what's the matter?"

"Let it go, Jason. I'm fine."

"You know what?" His eyes drew into slits, his voice dropping low – almost lethal. "I'm going to go home. When you decide that you're ready to tell me what's _really_ going on here you know where to find me."

And before she had the chance to get in a word, he was gone – slamming the door behind him.

"What have I done?" She muttered to herself. "I'm supposed to be telling him I'm carrying his baby, not picking a fight." She cursed herself as she raced out of the kitchen and through the house, opening the door and leaving it wide open as she ran down the porch steps. "Jason!" She yelled.

She wasn't sure if he had heard her or chose to ignore her, but he took off on his motorcycle, speeding down the street as if his pants were on fire. "Jason!" She yelled again. But he was long gone.

She shut the door after reentering the house, locking it behind her.

She had to tell him the truth. He was going to be a father – and soon. But how was she going to do that now? There was no doubt that he was pissed at her. She doubted he'd even let her into the penthouse.

But you have to try…otherwise you'll be spending the rest of your life wondering what if.

I have to tell him, she decided, her mind made up. And she had better do it now while she still had her nerve. She scrambled around house, preparing to leave as she called Emily in the process, begging her to baby-sit Cameron for a little while. It wasn't as if she had to do anything while she was gone, Cameron was already out for the night anyway.

Ten minutes later Emily was knocking on her front door. One moment after that, Elizabeth was closing it behind her, a certain destination in her mind.

* * *

Jason entered his penthouse more confused than anything. She had invited him to the park earlier because she said she had news to tell him. And then he went over to her house because she hadn't told him yet. He went over there to get some answers and now…now he was just as confused as he was before he had arrived. 

What did she have to tell him? What was the news that she had changed her mind about and decided not to tell him of? Better yet, what was so bad that she couldn't share with him of all people? He knew she had picked a fight with him to get the heat off of herself. But why? He liked to believe that they were once again close enough to share secrets with each other. In the past year they had built their friendship back up and he liked to think that even if they weren't at the place they were before…they were striding to it at a steady pace.

Jason decided to just let it go for tonight and instead decided to take a shower and maybe come back downstairs to play some pool afterwards. He made his way up the stairs and into his room in no time, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, a calmer Jason was racking up the balls to play a leisurely game of pool. But before he could even make his first shot, there was a knock on the door.

He made his way over to the door in a few long strides. Upon opening it he was surprised to see a meek Elizabeth Webber on the other side. "Come in." He sighed as motioned for her to enter.

She walked past him and immediately began pacing back and forth in front of the couch.

Jason shut the door and turned around, staring at her curiously as he made his way over to her. "Are you alright?" The words were out before he could stop himself.

"I- I-" She stuttered as she glanced up at him. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Okay…" He waited for her to continue.

"I didn't mean to wait so long before telling you, but I needed time. Time to figure out how and when to tell you. I knew I couldn't just call you up and tell you, so I had to plan. And planning does take time you know. I mean-"

"Elizabeth." Jason's voice stopped her. "You're rambling." He smiled.

"Look, Jason…" She sighed. "I'm just going to blurt it out, okay? Because I don't know any other way of telling you."

"Alright." He nodded.

She took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant."

Jason's eyes bulged out as he opened his mouth to speak, no words coming out.

She stopped him, placing a finger over his lips. "And before you ask, it's yours. The doctor says I'm about three months."

Jason stared at her in shock for a few minutes before allowing one word to slip past his lips. "Christmas."

"What?"

"The baby. It's due in Christmas, right?"

"Yes…" Where was he going with this?

"It figures that our baby would be born around Christmas time." He chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Wh- You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" He frowned at her. "You're pregnant with my baby, it's not the end of the world." So this was why she had flipped out earlier, he chuckled to himself. She had no idea how to tell him she was pregnant. She was confused. He could understand that, sympathize even.

"Well, no…"

"And since it's mine I can't have you living at your grandmother's house. You and Cameron will just have to move in with me. And of course, I'll be adopting him…I don't want him to think he's any different from any of the other kids."

"Other kids?" This time it was her who was in shock. "As in more than one?"

"Of course." He smiled. "I had always planned on having at least three or four. And we'll want to be married before the baby comes so we'll have to get started on the wedding arrangements right away…"

"Jason."

"Of course we'll want to do it before you are too far along, too. I mean, let's face it – you aren't going to be in any condition to be walking down that isle in a few months."

"Jason." She tried once again to capture his attention, and failed.

"You'll be showing soon, so we'll want to get it done as soon as possible. Maybe in a month or so if we can."

_Hey, don't write yourself off yet.__  
__It's only in your head you feel left out or__  
__looked down on. _

That damned song was back, Elizabeth cursed.

"And I'm sure Sonny will be my best man. I don't really need any other groomsmen. You can have as many bridesmaids as you want, of course…"

"Jason!" She yelled, making him lose his train of thought.

"What?" He looked down at her.

_Just try your best, try everything you can.__  
__And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.__  
__It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle, it'll up the ride.__  
__Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right._

"Are you going to continue making plans without me or do I get an input?" She glared at him. "What are you going to do? Just pat me on the head and order me around like a dog? I think I get some kind input here. The baby is mine too." What was going on inside his head? She told him she was pregnant and he started making plans for them to spend the rest of their lives together? Who knew that Jason Morgan was so domestic, she smiled to herself.

_Hey, you know they're all the same.__  
__You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.__  
__Live right now.__  
__Yeah, just be yourself.__  
__It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else._

It wasn't even on the radio and it was still taunting her. Damn song. Damn radio. And damn her good memory too.

"What am I going to do?" He pondered the question thoughtfully. "Well, I supposed I could do this…"

"Do wh-"

He didn't even give her the chance to finish before his lips came crashing down on hers.

_It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.__  
__Everything will be just fine, everything will be all right._

Song Credit: The Middle by Jimmy Eat World


End file.
